1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to solutions including complexed ionic silver. More particularly, it relates to solutions including complexed ionic silver wherein the solutions convey health benefits through their use or application.
2. Description of Related Art
Silver has been known to act antimicrobially as an agent in and on the body of humans as well as other animals, and to be relatively non-toxic to mammalian cells when used in the minute quantities needed to be antimicrobially effective. The most effective form of silver for antimicrobial use is as ions in solution. Silver ions have been shown in the past to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal qualities, and to contribute directly to the regeneration of tissue. While the exact method by which silver ions perform these functions is not known, it is believed that they may (1) disrupt the respiratory functions, or (2) disrupt membrane functionality of single-celled microorganisms, or (3) link to the cell's DNA and disrupt cell functions. It is not conventionally understood why silver ions appear to some to be effective at regenerating tissue, which apparently involves more than acting as an antimicrobial agent.
During recent years, ionic silver substances have been undergoing a substantial resurgence in popularity, and are increasingly regarded as a reasonably safe and effective antimicrobial agent. Silver ion substances are increasingly being used in medical applications as well as by those seeking a natural alternative to traditional antibiotic medications. Ionic silver substances are being used in topical dressings to treat wounds and to prevent and treat infections. They are also being used for water supply sanitation for public utilities, for pharmaceutical equipment sanitation, and for killing germs including the germ that causes Legionnaires' Disease in the water systems of hospitals. Tooth brushes are now being introduced that release silver ions in order to fight oral bacteria.
However, delivering silver ions for utilization in or on the body is a challenge because silver ions are electrically attracted to a host of substances in and on the body, resulting in the silver ions rapidly forming complexes or compounds wherein the ion is no longer available to perform the appropriate antimicrobial function. A controlled, gradual release of silver ions is desirable for achieving appropriate use of silver ions in or on the body in order to offset this phenomenon, and is especially challenging for antimicrobial use of silver ions internally such as upon oral ingestion. If free silver, defined as silver ions which are not part of a complex or compound, and are therefore biologically available, are delivered at once to the body, there is only opportunity for them to perform the antimicrobial function for an instant where they make contact with the body or the oral tissue before being rendered inactive.
The desirable characteristics of an antimicrobial ionic silver formulation are that it gradually releases its silver content as free silver ions upon ingestion or upon topical application in a manner that is slow enough to sustain the antimicrobial functionality for a sufficient period of time while also being rapid enough to be substantially effective, that it facilitate mobility of the silver through the body upon oral ingestion prior to gradually releasing its silver content as available free silver ions, and that it be nontoxic to the body.
Topical applications of ionic silver do not require a controlled, gradual release of silver ions to the degree that internal, oral ingestion applications require it because there is a lower presence of agents with which the silver ions can bind up and form complexes or compounds upon topical exposure as compared with ingestion for internal use. At least one product has been recently introduced that consists of a film dressing impregnated with a complex that gradually releases silver ions upon exposure to the body's chemistry.
Previously, some silver-containing chemical substances, such as silver nitrate, have been utilized in an effort to gain the antimicrobial benefits of silver ions, but these substances have proven minimally effective in or on the body because they immediately deliver all of their silver content as free silver ions. Some such substances, such as silver nitrate, are undesirably toxic to the human body when administered in typical doses.
Colloidal silver is a substance which has been in use for about a hundred years. It provides a reasonable degree of controlled release and mobility of silver ions in and on the body. Colloidal silver is apparently made up of minute particles of silver, associated with silver ions that comprise a small percentage of such particles. The mass of these particles provide a degree of controlled, gradual release of silver ions as the body's chemistry breaks down these particles.
However, the electrolysis process that is used to make most colloidal silver has substantial limitations and does not enable adequate consistency in terms of parts per million (PPM) of silver relative to the total solution by molar weight, particle size, or percentage of ions, for most desired applications. Additionally, purity of the substance is typically limited because electrolytes must usually be added to the water during the production method, the most common of which is sodium. Oxides typically form during production, often resulting in an undesirable yellow or brown color. Moreover, the potency of most electrically produced colloidal silver is inherently limited. After a concentration of approximately 5 PPM of silver (in some cases up to approximately 20 PPM of silver) is reached, the production method typically fails to continue yielding electron-deficient silver particles. The particles formed after such a concentration is reached are typically not capable of performing antimicrobial functions as do the particles that are initially produced prior to reaching this approximate level of total silver concentration (the aggregate of the complexed silver and the free, available silver in the water-based solution).
The term colloidal means “something suspended in a dissimilar medium,” and shelf life is, therefore, inherently limited because the colloidal silver particles gradually settle out of the water. Colloidal particles are not dissolved in the water medium; they are not in solution. The suspension is a result of, for example, Brownian motion which is insufficient to keep the particles from settling out over time. Some colloidal silver substances have stabilizing agents such as proteins added to the formula, but these tend to further hinder the availability of the silver ions to the body. What is therefore needed are compositions comprising silver ions, and methods of making and using such compositions, that address the aforementioned problems.